World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall

This summer, Travelocity.ca gave a group of Canadian bloggers the opportunity to literally go seize the summer! Armed with codes to go online at Travelocity.ca we were able to book hotel stays in our location of choice, to enable us to experience summer adventures with our family and, of course, report back to you, our readers!

Part one of our adventure took us to Edmonton, Alberta. We love West Ed Mall and everything it has to offer but undoubtedly the World Waterpark is #1 on our list! This water park boasts the world’s largest wave pool and more than 17 waterslides and play features! There’s literally something for everyone and you most definitely have to schedule an entire day to spend at the park because you’ll want to take in everything it has to offer – and we certainly did this summer!

Not only did my 9 year old son and my always-up-for-fun husband take in the Thunderbolt about 5 times (video above where my husband isn’t as successful as my son!) but my husband, 9 year old, and 5 year old daredevil daughter even experienced the Linetech Ziplines – a new addition to the World Waterpark!

Riders must weigh between 45lbs-260lbs, but there’s no age requirement that I noted. They have scales right in front of the kiosk to pay, and my 5 year old was just shy of the requirement before lunch but aced it after lunch (parents of the year, right?) I love that they do insist on these safety rules, but my 5 year old would have been devastated had she not been able to participate so I’m glad she reached the requirement! The video isn’t great, but they had an amazing time ziplining from one end of the world’s largest wave pool to the other side! You can follow Linetech Zipline on Twitter @LTZiplines to learn more!

Infants and young children have two great areas to enjoy as well – Caribbean Cove is a multi-level play structure with buckets of water dumping periodically, spraying water all the time, and three waterslides for little ones to venture down. Both my girls were the same age visiting the waterpark for the first time (age 2) and both were leery about this area at that age! My 5 year old, upon visiting now for the second time, loved it. So I’d suggest it’s best for kids 3-7 but it depends on your child and how much they love the crazy fun of water spray and play.

The Dolphin Kiddie Pool is great for babies and toddlers. With 3 dolphin slides ending in shallow water and a play area that encourages team work, the warm water is inviting to little kids and tired parents who sit along the sides observing the water play. It also happens to sit right below the landing-area of the Linetech Zipline so it’s fun to watch people as the kids are playing.

This was our second time visiting World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall, and we can’t wait to go back! There are a few things to note and suggest, should you plan on a visit this summer!

1) Read the World Waterpark map and slide information carefully. The majority of the slides are for riders 4″ tall, minimum. While my 5 year old is a daredevil and not scared of trying out the slides, she was not allowed to ride on the ones she really wanted to with her big brother because she is not quite tall enough. I promised her we would take her back next summer (and suggested that she eat all her vegetables to ensure she grows taller in the meantime!)

2) Reserve a pool-side cabana if you have young kids. It’s $60 for the full day but when you consider it gives you a room of your own to change, eat, rest, and regroup I find it’s more than worth the price. There are Beach Front Patio areas as well for $80 and while really pretty looking, I prefer having a closed-door area to use when needed. Plus, you get a key to a bathroom for cabana/patio users only.

3) If you don’t rent a cabana, find a few patio chairs near the water and plant your towels/bags there early in the day if you can. The majority of the time we were there, the chairs were holding towels and not actual people which is highly frustrating when a family would like to sit down and relax by the water for a bit. I realize my suggestion is a can’t-beat-them-join-them kind of mentality, but until they actually enforce any “no holdsies” rules, this is the way to go.

Need a hotel recommendation in Edmonton? We booked our hotel through Travelocity.ca and it’s the one we always stay at when in the city. The Holiday Inn Express At The Mall in West Edmonton offers great, clean, rooms (we booked a suite) a pool and fitness area and my favorite – free continental breakfast each morning. Note that this hotel isn’t right at the mall, despite it’s name, but it’s just a short distance away.

We went to the mall a couple weeks ago for the first time! It was so cool. We didn’t go the waterpark or galaxy land though. I did take my oldest son to the marine life exhibit and he loved the touch tank with the stingrays. He was there for at least a half hour.

We visitied the WEM in the 90s when my kids were tweens and had a blast. There’s so much more there now. We’ll have to take our grandson now! We’re only a days drive from Edmonton. I looked at their prices and see there’s a 5-day family pass. With that we could even take a little friend almost for free!

One question: In the waterpark was it humid…like when you’re at an indoor pool and it’s stuffy???

Hi Cindy! It’s warm (I think the temp is listed as 28 degrees) but not balmy/hard to breathe. My son has asthma and the humidity didn’t bother him at all which it sometimes can. It’s so huge and the ceilings are so high, that there’s plenty of ventilation. Hope that helps!

I remember when the mall opened, phase 1, phase 2, phase 3 bringing the waterpark to Edmonton was such a big deal, it doesn’t look like it has changed much, but poolside cabanas, now there is a great idea!

Looks like such a fun place to take a family trip! I’ve been to West Ed Mall twice but both times my kids weren’t with me. Maybe I’ll look into planning a trip out west next summer with them! Thanks for sharing your review!

Looks like you and the children had a great time! I have never seen or been the the West Edmonton Mall but have heard about it for years. It is certainly NOT like any mall I have ever been to. I’ll get there someday, I hope. 😉

We went to West Edmonton Mall a few years ago and I could not believe how huge it is. We were only there for one day and it was not enough time although the kids really had a blast. Looks like your family had a great adventure also, next time I hope we can take the time to book a hotel and get in more fun.

That looks totally awesome! I have never ventured to that side of Canada before but if I do, the West Edmonton Mall is one of the first place I would visit. I have heard of it and seen pictures but I guess it is something to experience.

The price u charge for a 3 year old is 37.65 which I think is not acceptable also if u offer lockers for $8 then provide change to use them . A family of 6 which included a 3 year old cost $273 and not buying any extras so bring lots of money at that price u can only swim at the mall for the day to get your monies worth and than don’t plan to shop